Auto-generated transcript:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
And peace and blessings be upon the honour of the prophets and messengers,
Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him,
and upon his family and companions, peace and blessings be upon him, and upon many many.
And what is next?
My brothers and sisters, Ramadan has ended and so have the rites of Ramadan.
But the rites of Allah remain and they will remain until we die.
As Allah commanded,
وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينَ
Allah said, worship Allah, worship your Rabb until the inevitable comes to you,
until the truth comes to you and that is death.
Ramadan came to increase our taqwa.
As I mentioned in several of my khutbah before,
every ibadah, every act of worship is not for itself.
Every act of worship is a tool to achieve something.
Salah is not for itself.
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَهْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ
Salah is the tool to separate us from, to protect us from
everything which is shameless
and everything which is not good.
Everything which is rebelliousness of Allah and disobedience.
So if I’m praying and I find that there is no change in my lifestyle,
if I’m still disobeying Allah,
if I’m still engaging in things that Allah has prohibited,
then I must question my salah.
I must question what quality of salah is this?
That it is not achieving the purpose for which it is meant.
Allah said about Ramadan,
what is the purpose of Ramadan?
Ya ayyu allatheena amanu kootiba alaikumus siyamu kama kootiba ala allatheena min qablikum la’alakum tattaqoon
Allah said,
Do you believe fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you
so that you may become muttaqoon,
so that you may become conscious of Allah in your lives,
so that you may become completely and totally obedient to Allah,
so that you do everything for one reason only and that reason is because it pleases my Creator.
Now Ramadan reinforced that because in Ramadan during the hours of the fasting
from before sunrise to after sunset,
we stayed away even from things which are normally halal.
Why? Because Allah said so.
There’s another reason.
If anyone fasted for any other reason then the fast becomes batil.
The reason we fast, the reason we don’t eat, we don’t drink, we don’t have intimacy and so on
is because Allah said so.
Not for its physical benefits or you know any other reason.
Because Allah said so.
And that is to reinforce this concept in our minds.
Because Allah said so.
So if I’m going to stay away even from the permitted things which are wholesome,
which are good to do because Allah said so and for no other reason,
then what must I do with those things which Allah prohibited?
Ramadan therefore did not come for Ramadan.
Ramadan came for the rest of our lives.
That is the goal.
We use Ramadan as a habit change, an attitude change and a life change opportunity.
So that we can become uttaqoon, we can become people of taqwa.
We can become people who are conscious of Allah in every aspect of our lives.
And so that we live our goals, we live our lives with only one goal in mind
and that is to please Allah .
Developing taqwa is the most important goal in life.
Because all the promises of Allah are for the muttaqoon.
Not merely for the Muslimoon.
Not merely for the person who enters Islam.
When you enter Islam, you just enter the fort.
But you want value added benefits?
It has to be more than that.
We have to become conscious of Allah in our lives.
And we have to worship Allah only without any partners.
And we have to obey Allah over and above.
And before we obey Allah, we have to obey Allah.
We have to obey anyone and anything else including our own desires.
And that is why Allah said
وَبَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا وَيَرْزُقُهُ مِنْ هَيْثُ لَا يَهْتَصِبُ
Allah said whoever is mindful of Allah, what is the benefit of being a muttaqoon?
What is the benefit of being mindful of Allah?
What is the benefit of being conscious of Allah in our lives?
Allah says whoever is mindful of Allah, Allah will solve his problems.
Allah will make a way out for them.
And provide them from sources that they cannot imagine.
When we face difficulties individually or collectively,
let’s ask ourselves do we seek material solutions
or do we introspect to see which of our actions may be responsible for the difficulty
and how we can solve the problem and invoke the help of Allah
by bringing into our lives the blessed path of RasulAllah .
By all means seek material means. There is nothing wrong with that.
But do we have a place to go to the root cause of it?
Because the fact is if Allah is saying I will solve your problems if you are obedient to me,
automatically it means that if you are not obedient to Allah,
then no matter what you do, your problem will not go away.
Right? It’s a mutually exclusive statement.
Allah is saying I will solve your problems.
Allah did not say I and whatever you do will solve your problems.
No. Allah is saying I will solve your problem if you are obedient to me.
So if I am not obedient to Allah and I am seeking solutions,
material means, this one, that one, this advice, that advice,
nothing wrong in itself but if that is done with the disobedience of Allah in place,
then no material means is going to solve that problem.
Allah is saying,
In Surah Al-Nahl Allah said surely Allah is with those who have taqwa.
Allah is with those who are mindful of Him.
And those who are al-mursinoon, who are on the path of Ihsan,
who work to perfect their deeds, to excel in the obedience to Allah .
Allah is with them.
See the, this is why you have to understand the Quran al-Kareem
with its language, with its grammar, with understanding.
Allah did not say Allah will have the taqwa.
In Surah Al-Talaq Allah said He will have.
In Surah Al-Nahl Allah is not saying Allah will have.
Allah is saying Allah is with them.
Allah does not say I will give them. Allah says I am with them.
Completely boundless. Right?
When Allah is with me,
what is with me?
Everything that Allah has is with me.
All the treasures of Allah, all the khudrat of Allah, all the power of Allah.
See the way Allah has honored those who are obedient to Him.
Inna Allaha ma’al lazeena taqwa
wa lazeena hum mursinoon
May Allah make us among the muttaqoon and mursinoon, InshaAllah.
I remind myself, I knew that in Ramadan we normally,
we stayed away from what is normal.
Or what is perfectly halal and enjoyable, only to please Allah.
This was to instill in us a desire to live our lives to please Allah alone.
Let us therefore look at all aspects of our lives and ask,
does this please Allah?
Let us look at our aqaid ,
our creed, our beliefs.
Let us look at our ibadat , our acts of worship.
What is the quality of them?
Let us look at our sources of earning.
Let us look at what we eat and drink
Let us look at our relationships
With our parents, our siblings
Spouses, children, families
Let us see how we treat our neighbours
And let us look at
Every aspect of our behaviour in society
How do I drive my car?
Where do I park my car?
Where do I leave the shoes?
How do I greet somebody, older, younger, what?
And ask the same question
Does this please Allah?
My way of acting, does it please Allah?
My brothers and sisters, believe me
We have enough knowledge to know the answers
But if you don’t know the answer
Please ask somebody who knows
To make sure
There will be only truth that which pleases Allah
And let us continue to remain steadfast
After Ramadan
I ask Allah SWT for steadfastness
For myself and everyone
In Ramadan we came to the masjid
In large numbers
For Taraweeh
Which is a big thing
And Nafil
Which is a voluntary prayer
Not obligatory
Let not the masjid complain to Allah SWT
After Ramadan
That it has been abandoned
As they say
Guests leave
But the family stays
The masjid is the beating, living heart
Of the Muslim community
Let it not fall silent
Let us continue to love
To listen to the Quran in Salah
Let us come to the first Salah
As we used to go for Taraweeh
Let us pray at least one Salah by Jama’ah every day
Make this into a
Assumption for yourself
I will pray at least one Salah by Jama’ah
Any masjid
I am not saying come to this masjid
Any masjid you like
But pray one Salah by Jama’ah
Every single day
And as we know if you pray
Fajr and Isha by Jama’ah
The reward is
That of having prayed all night
In Ramadan we gave charity
And we are not going to give charity to anyone else
We gave people Iftar every day
But people are not anacondas
They don’t eat once a year
So what about feeding people every day
Throughout the year
Let us make charity into a daily habit
Like breakfast
In Ramadan we fasted
Also with what comes out of our mouths
With our tongues, our ears and eyes
We controlled our anger
We smiled at people
We were patient
We were patient
We were patient
Let us continue to do that
For the rest of our lives
Backbiting, slander, profanity
Cursing, useless talk
Pornography, smoking, vaping
Lottery, gambling
Interest based dealings
Are all still haram after Ramadan
They don’t become halat
Because Ramadan ended
We avoided these things in Ramadan
All of them or some of them
Let us continue to avoid all of them
Throughout our lives
That is the only way
That we can achieve the purpose
Of our creation and lives
To please Allah
Let us continue to please Allah
In Ramadan we pray
Qiyamul Layl
Tahajjud
Let us remember that Qiyam
Is not restricted to Ramadan
Allah gives its reward every day
I remind myself and you
That we
Behaved in a certain way in Ramadan
Because it was Ramadan
And as I remind myself and you
The purpose was not
To restrict that behavior
To that time period
But to make that behavior
A permanent habit
A permanent behavior in our lives
Allah praised
Those who pray tahajjud
Who wake up in the night
And stand before Allah
And He promised them reward
That they cannot even imagine
Allah said about tahajjud
Those people who are
And they spend in charity out of what we have bestowed on them.
No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do.
Abu Hurairah r.a. reported that Rasulullah s.a.w. said,
Our Rabb Jalla Jalaluhu descends to the lowest heaven in the last third of every night.
Not only in Ramadan, not only in Laitul Qadr.
Every single night of the year, Allah descends to the lowest heaven
in a manner that suits His Majesty and Grace in the last third of every night
and says, Who is calling upon Me that I may answer Him?
Who is asking from Me that I may give Him?
Who is seeking My forgiveness that I may forgive Him?
And this is a hadith, sayyad is mutafakun.
Sayyad is Baha’i Bukhar al-Muslim.
And that’s why I remind myself and you that if you say you really want something
and you’re not praying tahajjud, then you don’t want it.
It’s as simple as that.
In Ramadan, we read the Quran regularly.
Let us continue that throughout our lives.
Read some portion of the Quran every day without fail.
If you are in a hurry on any day, then make sure that you read on that day even more.
Not more.
Don’t miss out what you’re reading.
If you’re reading one page, read two pages.
Because what we are concerned about when we are connected with our Rabb,
He will take care of it, of whatever we were in a hurry about.
Abu Huraira narrated that Rasool Allah said,
Whoever fasts during the month of Ramadan,
out of sincere faith and hoping to attain the reward from Allah,
then all will be fulfilled.
Then all their past sins will be forgiven.
Alhamdulillah.
We fasted with faith and we fasted hoping for the reward from Allah.
We ask Allah to forgive all our sins.
Allah said,
Allah said,
Allah said,
Be patient, have sabr.
Verily, Allah does not allow the reward of those who are in a hurry.
He does not allow the reward of those who do good to be lost or wasted.
Let me remind you and myself to benefit from fasting six days in Shawwal.
In the Hadith, the Sayyid Muslim Abu Ayyum Al-Ansari reported that Rasool Allah said,
Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan and follows it with six days of fasting in the month of Shawwal,
it will be as if he has fasted for the entire year.
These six days need not be fasted consecutively.
You can fast them in any way you want,
but before the end of Shawwal.
Finally, my brothers and sisters who are parents and who are hoping to be parents,
remember that you are the first responders,
the front line in the battle against Shaitan.
We live in a society where we are taught and raised
to believe that the individual, the person you are supreme,
that your desires are supreme.
You are raised on the false belief that you can do whatever you want without any consequences.
This is a recipe for failure and disaster.
This is how we have created this toxic, merciless society
where the only criterion of success is net worth,
not character, not knowledge, not kindness, not compassion, not manners,
nothing.
Only money.
There are two books you should read,
especially those of you who have children.
One is called The Coddling of the American Mind
by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt.
And the other one is called The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.
Read these two books.
And then those of you who have Netflix,
there is a series that’s going on on Netflix called The Adolescent.
See that.
Believe me, you won’t sleep for days after that.
And you should not sleep for days after that.
If you’re sleeping after that,
there’s something seriously wrong with you.
Remember that every evil person that you know,
who is living today or who lived before,
who wreaked or is wreaking havoc across the world,
depriving other people of their rights and their liberty and even their lives,
was born.
He was once a child.
He or she had a mother.
He or she had a father.
What those two did is the legacy that the rest of the world must suffer.
Ask yourself,
if you want to raise children,
who will take you to Jannah or to An-Naar, to Jahannam?
In Islam, Allah SWT tells us about the nafs,
desires and its reality.
وَمَا أُبَرِّيُوا نَفْسًا
إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالصُّوطِ
إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي
إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
Allah SWT said in Surah Yusuf,
Yusuf A.S. says that
I do not seek to free myself from blame for indeed
my nafs,
my desires, my soul
is always inclined to evil
except those who are shown mercy by my Rabb.
Surely my Rabb is always inclined to evil.
He is all forgiving, most merciful.
Who is saying this?
A Nabi of Allah, a Prophet of Allah,
who is protected and guided,
who receives Wahi.
Believe me, there is no one in this room
or on the face of the earth today
who is receiving Wahi,
who is protected or guided.
If Yusuf A.S. is saying that about himself,
is saying my desires and my soul
and my nafs takes me only to evil,
what about my nafs?
What about?
What about yours?
And about those who refuse to heed the warnings
of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
and continue to prioritize their desires
over obedience to Allah SWT,
Allah SWT said,
أَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَهَهُ هَوَىٰ
أَفَأَنْتَ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ وَكِلًا
In Surah Al-Furqan, Allah said,
Have you seen, O Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam,
the one who has taken their own desires as their God.
They worship their desires.
They don’t worship Allah.
They are not Ibadullah.
They are Ibadun Nafs.
And Allah says,
Have you not seen those who have taken their desires as their God?
Will you then be a Waqeel, a Keeper, an Advocate,
an Intercessor over them?
The tone means what?
Allah says, do not intercede for them.
Do not try to protect them.
I remind myself and you that parenting is about
teaching children boundaries.
Teaching them to love Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala
and to prioritize Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala
above everything else.
And I mean everything.
Everything.
Allah comes first.
Allah comes before your school.
Allah comes before your college.
Allah comes before your exam.
Allah comes before your football and basketball
and whatever game you are playing.
Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala comes before every single thing in your life.
Remember that if you teach them that,
then you are safe.
But if you teach them that there are things in their lives
which are more important than Allah,
you got an exam, you don’t need to fast.
You got an exam, you don’t need to pray Saatul Fajr.
You got a game to go to, forget Jummah.
If that is what you are teaching them,
that other things are more important than Allah,
and that they can safely ignore the commands of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala,
then not only is that a lie,
but you are thereby undermining your own authority
and importance in their lives.
Because remember, your importance comes through their connection with Allah.
If Allah is not important, you are even less important.
I have visited old people’s homes in this country and elsewhere.
And I’ve seen lonely parents looking at the door every time
it opens with eyes that have a look of despair,
yearning for a look at the face of their son or their daughter
come to visit them.
I wonder if they remember that the reason that doesn’t happen
is because they taught their children that making money,
chasing careers, even sports,
was more important than Allah and Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
Why then does it surprise them if that, or anyone,
if the children learn that lesson very well,
they can make a difference in their lives?
And then they apply it to their own teachers, to their own parents,
who are certainly less important than Allah.
If it is acceptable to ignore Allah, it is acceptable to ignore you.
Beware of what you are teaching your children,
for you will pay the price of your teaching.
Teach them to love Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam,
and to follow his path, which is the only path that is guaranteed to take them.
And if you don’t follow his path, you will be in trouble.
Teach them to Jannah.
Teach them manners.
Teach them respect for elders.
Teach them kindness.
In a world where they can be anything they want,
teach them to be kind.
The three secrets of success in this life,
and the next are,
be kind, be kind, be kind.
Leon
Preach about
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (18.8MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | Youtube Music | RSS